Home
News archive
April 22, 2012
Earth Day 2012
On April 22nd more than six million Canadians will join worldwide events aimed at raising awareness of the environment.
April 20, 2012
PSAC to Parks Canada: Get the voluntary layoff program right!
Today PSAC filed a policy grievance against Parks Canada over its voluntary layoff program which violates the Workforce Adjustment Appendix (WFAA) of the collective agreement.
April 20, 2012
Message from John Gordon on job cuts
I want you to know that PSAC is standing up for you at this difficult time. This government wants to cut thousands of jobs and the services you provide.
April 19, 2012
A day of action, super hero style
Jason Brown is not afraid to don a cape if it helps workers stand up for their rights. Jason is a Radiation Technologist at the Department of National Defence and the president of UNDE local 70614 at Shirley's Bay campus, a secure facility of some 50 federal buildings in the National Capital Region.
April 18, 2012
Classification at Nav Can
PSAC members at Nav Can ask an arbitrator to rule on the implementation of the new classification plan.
April 17, 2012
Impact of the 2012 Budget on Aboriginal Peoples
As a policy instrument, the 2012 Federal Budget is true to the Conservative government's course of assimilating the Aboriginal population by making life in First Nations communities unbearable.
April 13, 2012
CFIA cancels talks, shows unwillingness to bargain
Negotiations between PSAC and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency scheduled for April 11-13, 2012 were abruptly cancelled by the employer just hours before the start of the Easter long weekend.
April 5, 2012
PSAC supports trans rights bill – again
The PSAC is once again supporting a bill that would ensure human rights protections for transgender and transsexual Canadians.
April 4, 2012
PSAC to Parks Canada employees: don't jump to volunteer for layoffs
PSAC is urging any member employed at Parks Canada who is thinking of volunteering for early retirement to WAIT until the work force adjustment process proceeds under the terms of their collective agreement.
April 2, 2012
Our Union Voice
The spring issue of Our Union Voice is here. Check it out.
March 30, 2012
International solidarity
PSAC and CUPE help workers in Haiti to rebuild their union headquarters.
March 30, 2012
FB table at impasse
FB Bargaining Team to Apply to Labour Board for Conciliation
March 30, 2012
Nav Can, ratification of the classification plan
PSAC bargaining team recommends its members vote against the proposed classification plan at Nav Can
March 30, 2012
Nav Can, ratification of the classification plan
Important information for PSAC members regarding time and place of ratification vote at Nav Can
March 28, 2012
Austerity budget will shrink economy, cost tens of thousands of jobs and put the environment and health and safety at risk
After months of mixed messages and secrecy, today's federal budget confirms that this government's austerity agenda will leave Canadians without services they need, put tens of thousands out of work, put the environment and health and safety at risk and shrink the economy.
March 26, 2012
PSAC offers new online course on the federal budget
We are just days away from the Conservative's first majority government budget. There is much anticipation about what will and won't be in the budget. PSAC members in the federal public service are particularly concerned given the vague nature of the Finance Minister's responses as to where the cuts will be and how deep they will go.
March 23, 2012
Federal Budget Should Not Fight Deficit on Backs of Poor
The Make Poverty History campaign warned against cuts in next week's budget to Canada's aid program and called for investment in proposed initiatives to fight poverty in Canada.
March 23, 2012
PSAC presents WFA proposals to Parks during a week of positive negotiations
The PSAC bargaining team met with Park Canada negotiators this week for another round of negotiations.
March 22, 2012
No progress made in CFIA talks but employer tables wage offer
Frustration does not even begin to describe the mood at the CFIA bargaining table after another session of negotiations with the employer yielded zero progress
March 22, 2012
Striking Workers at Salvation Army Booth Centre choose arbitration
Workers at the Salvation Army's Booth Centre in Ottawa's Byward Market have decided to take their wage dispute to an arbitrated process.
March 20, 2012
March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Every year on March 21st, the world commemorates the anniversary of the 1960 Sharpville massacre, which saw dozens of peaceful demonstrators shot by police in apartheid South Africa for protesting racially discriminatory laws.
March 16, 2012
Conservatives planning to gut protection of fish habitat in Fisheries Act
The Conservative government is planning to eliminate habitat protection in the Fisheries Act to pave the way for pipeline building to B.C., according to information obtained by fishery biologist and aquatic ecologist Otto Langer.
March 15, 2012
Email Tony Clement to demand fair compensation for TC members
If you believe in strong health and safety protections for Canadians, send this letter to Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, to demonstrate that you value the workers providing these protections, and demand that your government value them too.
March 15, 2012
A labour and social justice pioneer is gone
Madeleine Parent, one of our greatest activists, passed away recently in Montreal after a long illness. She was 93 years old.
March 15, 2012
Alternative federal budget would create jobs, close tax loopholes
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its Alternative Federal Budget Mar. 15, which this year features a do-it-yourself budget calculator and a chapter on strengthening public services.
March 14, 2012
PSAC fights layoffs and defends right to severance
PSAC President John Gordon was on CBC's Power and Politics last night, defending public sector workers' right to decent severance pay if they are laid off. He also emphasized the fact that the Workforce Adjustment Appendix is primarily designed to help government workers find other employment in the public service.
March 14, 2012
PSAC returns to the bargaining table with CFIA
Union members and supporters are wearing black in the workplace, to protest against impending cuts to food inspection, the employer's lack of respect for administrative staff and the CFIA's unwillingness to bargain for a fair contract.
March 14, 2012
Call for nominations
Delegates of the PSAC 2012 National Triennial Convention will elect two PSAC National Officers to serve a three-year term for the positions of National President and National Executive Vice-President.
March 13, 2012
National Convention agenda
The agenda for the 2012 PSAC National Triennial Convention is now posted on the convention landing page. Convention starts 8:30am Sunday, April 29 in Ottawa and ends Friday, May 4 at noon
March 13, 2012
Retirement security webinar
Chris Roberts of the Canadian Labour Congress and PSAC's James Infantino give a 55 minute presentation on Pensions and Retirement Security. Now posted on the PSAC website.
March 13, 2012
Cost of budget cuts webinar
A 1 hour, seven minute presentation on the upcoming federal budget and the effect of public service cuts on the economy, with REVP Larry Rousseau and Candian Centre for Policy Alternatives Economist David MacDonald is now posted on the PSAC website.
March 12, 2012
Talks break off between Union of Northern Workers and GNWT
The Government of the Northwest Territories has rejected attempts by the UNW to reach compromises at the bargaining table that would result in a settlement.
March 9, 2012
Negotiations between TC bargaining team and Treasury Board have broken off
Negotiations for a new collective agreement between the TC bargaining team and Treasury Board have broken off. Your Union will be referring pay and other outstanding issues to a conciliator.
March 9, 2012
Student federation wants Service Canada youth centres re-opened
The Canadian Federation of Students is campaigning to get Human Resources Minister Diane Finley to continue to run Service Canada's seasonal youth employment centres.
March 7, 2012
New classification at Nav Can
PSAC members at Nav Can have the opportunity to vote on a new classification system. Here are the dates and places of the vote.
March 6, 2012
Mediation between NEU and the Nunavut government fails to produce a settlement
After three days of meetings, major issues remain unresolved. According to Nunavut Employees Union (PSAC) president Doug Workman, the parties are not very close on a number of key issues.
March 6, 2012
Parties in Dispute over Pension Reform
The FB bargaining team met with Treasury Board and CBSA representatives in Ottawa from February 28-March 2 to continue negotiations on a new contract.
March 2, 2012
Statement by women's organizations and the pan-Canadian labour movement, New York
Representatives women's organizations and of the pan-Canadian labour movement are gathered in New York on the occasion of the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
March 2, 2012
Nav Canada Pay-Outs: dates of lump sum payments changed
The dates published in the ratification kit regarding the the payments of lump sums to PSAC members at Nav Can have been modified. Those dates, as they appear in the ratification, were best estimates on when members could expect to receive payments for retroactive pay and severance. The employer has now provided firm dates for these payments, as follows:
March 1, 2012
National Day of Action
Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - 12:00 noon
Many rallies took place today across the country. Got photos? Send them to us Check out our photo gallery
March 1, 2012
Casual Workers at the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation join PSAC
On 15 February 2012, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued a bargaining certificate for casual and student employees working at the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation.
February 29, 2012
PSAC victory at the Canada Border Services Agency
PSAC members at the Border Services Agency have a right to support their bargaining team even when they are wearing their uniform.
February 29, 2012
How will the war on workers' pensions affect you?
A webinar for PSAC members. Right-wing organizations are working hard to whip up public support for their claims that public service pension plans are too generous and not sustainable.
February 28, 2012
TC bargaining team signs off on more language, tables new wage proposal
Your TC Bargaining Team continued to make slow progress toward a new collective agreement in the latest round of negotiations with Treasury Board.
February 27, 2012
The costs of budget cuts: What will happen to public services and jobs?
A webinar for PSAC members. “The Cuts Behind the Curtain” is a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative's (CCPA) which says that 60,000 jobs will be lost due to three rounds of Conservative cuts.
February 24, 2012
Nav Canada: PSAC members ratify a new collective agreement
PSAC members at Nav Can ratified a new collective agreement during a vote that was held across the Canada between February 6 and 23.
February 22, 2012
Bargaining Teams Provide Proposals To Stats Can Management
On Wednesday February 15th and Thursday February 16th our Bargaining Teams for both the Field Interviewer (FI) and Regional Office (RO) bargaining units met with representatives for Stats Can in Ottawa to exchange proposals and commence negotiations for a new collective agreement.
February 20, 2012
Strong majority vote for strike at Canadian Museum of Nature
Workers at the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) have given their bargaining committee a strong strike mandate in a vote held on February 15.
February 17, 2012
Parks willing to talk, but bargain? Not so much
The PSAC bargaining team met the employer this week to once again press your demands for improved job security language and related issues.
February 16, 2012
Public safety ignored as Conservative bill to eliminate long-gun registry approved in House of Commons
The PSAC is gravely concerned that Members of Parliament have agreed to eliminate the federal long-gun registry and to destroy the more than seven million records in the registry by voting for Bill C-19.
February 14, 2012
Survey of government employees shows troubling trends
A recent survey of workers in the federal public service continues to demonstrate that public service workers are highly committed to their work while struggling to do more with less. While the survey results are similar to what workers reported in 2008, some trends are troubling.
February 14, 2012
Promoting justice for Aboriginal women and girls
February 14 marks the date of the annual Women's Memorial March, in honour of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Event are being organized in different cities across Canada.
February 13, 2012
Conservative cuts could undo years of gains by equity groups
What impact will the Conservative government's plans for across-the-board cuts have on the employment of workers with disabilities, Aboriginal and racialized workers?
February 13, 2012
Tragic accident highlights need for better safety protection for migrant workers
The Public Service Alliance of Canada stands in solidarity with many other unions and community groups that are saddened by the tragic deaths of 10 migrant workers last week.
February 10, 2012
Supreme Court hears case of $28-billion pension surplus grab
The PSAC, other unions and retiree associations made an appeal to the Supreme Court on Feb. 9, 2012, to overturn the Ontario Court of Appeal's ruling that the federal government had the right to use its employees' pension surplus to pay off its debt.
February 8, 2012
TC Bargaining Communique - Employer needs to address no-cost, low-cost and operational issues
Your Bargaining Team resumed negotiations with Treasury Board from January 31st through February 2nd, our sixth session of contract talks since initially exchanging proposals in April, 2011.
February 7, 2012
New Young Workers Committee is ready for the fightback campaign; launches video
The PSAC is experiencing rapid growth of young worker interest across the country, and the National Capital Region is no exception.
February 7, 2012
Private DND contractors take taxpayers to the cleaners
A report commissioned by PSAC's Union of National Defence Employees reveals an ongoing pattern of poor but pricey construction work done by private contractors at the Department of National Defence.
February 7, 2012
FB team presents petition to CBSA, rejects employer concessions
From January 30-February 2, the FB bargaining team met with CBSA/Treasury Board in an effort to bring the parties closer to a new contract.
February 7, 2012
The Canada Post case proves it: we need a proactive pay equity law!
Twenty eight years. That's how long it took for the Public Service Alliance of Canada to win its pay equity complaint against Canada Post on behalf of clerical workers.
February 6, 2012
Supreme Court to webcast hearing on pension surplus case Feb 9
The Supreme Court of Canada will hear federal public service unions' case against the government over its 1999 'appropriation' of $30 billion of federal government employees pension money.
February 2, 2012
Black History Month 2012: PSAC recognizes contributions of black workers
Every year, there are Black History Month festivities and events all across the country that honour the legacy of black people or people of African descent in Canada, past and present.
February 1, 2012
PSAC reaches tentative agreement with Office of the Auditor General
Negotiators for the PSAC reached a tentative agreement with the Office of the Auditor General, Feb 1. The union will hold a ratification meeting Thursday Feb 9 at 12:30.
January 31, 2012
GNWT opening offer an insult says Parsons
Six cents an hour. That's the increase the lowest-paid employees with the Government of the Northwest Territories have been offered.
January 31, 2012
Salvation Army of Canada reverses position; reinstates health coverage to workers protesting poverty wages
Workers of the Booth Centre, local unions and community groups will celebrate a victory at 11am at 171 George St., Ottawa, after the Salvation Army backed away from its threat to cancel the health benefits coverage of striking employees. Initially, this event was intended to denounce the Salvation Army's cancellation of benefits, but it is now a celebration due to the Army's change of heart.
January 30, 2012
NAV Canada: tentative agreement votes between Feb 6 and 23
PSAC negotiators reached a tentative agreement with NAV Canada January 27. The 300 PSAC members covered by the agreement will vote on the collective agreement between February 6 and February 23, 2012.
January 30, 2012
PSAC demands rights, CFIA threatens layoffs
Our bargaining team endured a very frustrating round of negotiations with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency during the week of January 21-26, 2012.
January 27, 2012
PSAC reaches tentative agreement with NAV Canada
PSAC negotiators reached a tentative agreement with NAV Canada January 27. The 300 PSAC members covered by the agreement will vote on the new deal.
January 27, 2012
PSAC celebrates beginning of construction of Rémy M. Beauregard School in Colombia
Representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the Union of Employees of Rights and Democracy and the Colombian Indigenous National Organization (ONIC) as well as Suzanne Trépanier, spouse of Mr. Rémy M. Beauregard, former president of Rights and Democracy, are presently in Colombia to attend a ceremony recognizing the beginning of construction of the Rémy M. Beauregard School.
January 27, 2012
PSAC Solidarity for CFS National Day of Action
On February 1, students across the country will be mobilizing in support of quality, accessible post-secondary education.
January 25, 2012
Steward assemblies underway from coast-to-coast-to-coast
PSAC is holding steward assemblies across the country, to help build skills, share information and strengthen steward networks. Some of the assemblies took place in the fall and others are scheduled to take place in early 2012.
January 25, 2012
PSAC steward wins iPad after filling out survey
A very excited Kristen Dunsford received an iPad from Bob Jackson, B.C. Regional Executive Vice President,on November 25. Kristen attended the B.C. Regional Convention, filled out the Stewards Survey and was entered with more than 1,000 other PSAC stewards to win the iPad.
January 23, 2012
Federal spending cuts will cost more than 60,000 jobs: study
Federal cutbacks announced in the 2010 and 2011 budgets will result in more than 60,000 job losses, says a study released today by the CCPA.
January 20, 2012
Implementation of Compensation Advisors move to Miramichi is approved – PSAC has grave concerns
The PSAC and Components have been notified that the following departments and agencies will have pay accounts moved to the new pay centre as part of what is being called the first “wave” of transfers...
January 18, 2012
PA occupational groups: classification reform process begins
Treasury Board has outlined its preferred model for new occupational groups for the Program and Administrative Services (PA) group. This model suggests three new occupational groups including a separate group for work done by the Welfare Programs (WP) group.
January 18, 2012
Duty to Accommodate: Building an Inclusive Workplace is now available
The Joint Learning Program (JLP) announces that its Duty to Accommodate: Building an Inclusive Workplace workshop is finalized and available for delivery in the workplaces.
January 17, 2012
PSAC denounces privatization of government language training
The federal government announced last week that is it laying off 190 language instructors and privatizing all future language instruction in the federal public sector.
January 16, 2012
Conservatives targeting pensions - Tell Flaherty not to reduce the deficit on the backs of public service workers
Once again we need to tell Finance Minister Flaherty – hands off our pensions!
January 13, 2012
Compensation Advisors move to Miramichi approved, but PSAC still waiting to hear details
The implementation plan for the transfer of federal pay services to Miramichi was approved by Treasury Board in December.
January 13, 2012
PSAC talks job security, Parks Canada talks layoffs as bargaining continues
PSAC tabled new language on Terms, Seasonals, Acting Pay, and National Joint Council during this week's three day meeting with Parks Canada.
January 12, 2012
Some progress reported as bargaining with GNWT begins
Bargaining with the Government of the Northwest Territories began on December 19 with an exchange of proposals and three days of negotiations.
January 6, 2012
Will the Salvation Army have an epiphany?
Today, on the Christian commemoration of Epiphany, workers at the Booth Centre in Ottawa's Byward Market will go on strike in the hope that it will lead the Salvation Army to show wisdom and come back to the negotiations table.
Previous years
Date Modified : 2012/05/02
